ThirtyNine
by Jackie W
Summary: Carter's clock is getting louder....TickTock... Complete!added Author's notes to the end
1. Memories

Title: "Thirty-nine"

Author: Jackie W.

Rating: T

Classification: Season tag Season: 9

Spoilers: Anything up to the end of season 9

Archive: SJD, yes. Anyone else, please just ask.

Summary: Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of man (or woman!) like the prospect of parenthood. Sam mulls over a possible fork in the road.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment, not monetary purposes, and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Author's Notes: I've had this idea brewing for a while, but I was waiting for the right timing in the SG1 storyline. I think it finally fits in now, especially since it seems to have morphed into something appropriate for Father's Day.

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Prologue - It all started with a dream

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Sam woke up screaming in pain and fear. The pounding of her heart after a vivid nightmare was something she was accustomed to. What surprised her was the fact that the imagined pain had been so realistic. When the nightmares had started she hadn't been overly concerned. She knew the routine. She would relive the traumatic event until her mind had come to terms with it, then it would fade, only to reoccur sometime in the future when she was stressed and overtired. Then all of her past nightmares tended to rotate until whatever the crisis was had passed. But this particular nightmare had morphed into something totally different and truth be told it had her a bit on edge.

When they had started, the dreams mirrored the true events up to a point. She was stranded in her spacesuit next to the Supergate as the violent battle raged around her. Predictably, in her dream her mind followed to the worst possible conclusion, with all of the Earth and allied ships blown to bits in front of her eyes, and the Ori ships speeding off towards Earth to complete the devastation. She was left staring into the blackness of space with only her heavy breathing and the beating of her heart as background noise.

In reality rescue had come just in time, and she had been reunited with her battered team. Still, she knew the dreams would continue to play themselves out until she had come to terms with another close call.

Then Vala had shown up, and her account of standing on the Ori ship watching the same scene had ended with the alien woman going into labor. Sam's vivid imagination had somehow picked up on that and incorporated it into her dream. Now as her nightmares ended she was stranded floating in her spacesuit nine months pregnant with the first contractions wracking her body. And the pain in her nightmares was surprisingly realistic considering Sam had never given birth.

With a sigh, Sam got up to make herself a cup of tea. If she had any hope of getting back to sleep she was going to have to shake off the nightmare first. As the teakettle started to heat up she stood at the back door staring out at the night sky and suddenly a memory floated to her from the deep recesses of her mind. She was starting at a different night sky and there was a young man standing protectively nearby and they were discussing something. Suddenly the conversation was paused as she gasped in pain and doubled over.

"Isaax, it is time," she whispered.

The memory fast-forwarded through hours of excruciating labor, until finally she was straining with all of her might to push her child into the world. And then waiting anxiously for the sound that would mean all was well. At the first loud wail from the newborn she was crying with joy, and moments later a small bundle was placed in her arms. The love she felt was overwhelming.  
As suddenly as the flashback had begun, it ended, leaving Sam weak in the knees. She collapsed into a nearby chair and took a deep breath. Already her mind was racing trying to place the memory that so obviously wasn't hers. Not Rosha's either she quickly concluded. No, this was a host before Rosha.

Like a figure out of the mist a name whispered itself to her. Alexa. She had been Jolinar's first host, and she had been much older than in this memory when they had joined. Still, the image and feelings had been imprinted, and passed along, just lurking until triggered like so many others had over the years.

As accustomed as Sam was to having others past lives and their associated feelings thrust upon her, she was unprepared for how the longing this particular memory had evoked would linger and cause her to make some drastic changes in her own life.

TBC


	2. To be or not to be

Title: "Thirty Nine" By Jackie W 

See part 0 for notes/disclaimer/summary

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If she was honest with herself the knowledge that she was running out of time had been growing for several years. It definitely had been a factor in her letting her relationship with Pete go as far as she had, and it had been a huge part of why she had finally broke things off. If she was going to do this, she realized that Pete was not the right person to do it with.

But it had taken Vala's return and the events leading up to it to give her the kick in the butt that she needed. That and turning thirty-nine had made her realize that it was now or never. She just wasn't sure which. And of course there had been the whole battle with the Ori to get through before she could even find a spare second to think about the issue.

Like any other problem there were a lot of variables. She may have waited too long already. Jack might not be interested. But the real question was what she wanted. Because all the other factors couldn't be resolved until she had a firm understanding of the base issue.

Did she want to take the fork in road that currently was looming in front of her? Did she continue on as before and give up on any chance of ever having children, or did she make some drastic changes and try to have a baby? The thought alternately excited her and scared her to death.

Once the whole battle with Ori and the cleanup afterwards had been completed, she requested leave, and that was how she'd ended up in the lovely beach house just south of San Diego. Well it hadn't been that straight forward. The beach house had been Plan C. Her first instinct had been to fly to Washington to be with Jack. After all it had been three weeks since they had seen each other and she missed him terribly. However a phone call to his office had quickly made her realize that for the next few days at least Jack was going to be tied up in meetings with the Joint Chiefs and representatives of the allied nations involved in the program.

She'd then figured she'd head off to the cabin and let Jack join her there when he could. But a quick check of the weather forecast for Minnesota had shown nothing but rain and cool temperatures for the next five days and she was not in the mood to be cooped up that long.

The beach house had been a stroke of luck. She'd gotten an e-mail from an old Academy friend who was going to be back at their alma mater giving a lecture. They had arraigned to meet for lunch. Sam had mentioned needing to get away for a few days and Marie had offered up her place just north of San Diego. Sam had been hesitant to take her up on the offer at first but it was ideal, and eventually she'd given in and accepted. Jack could come to California for the week-end as easily as he could anywhere else, and she might be able to get a quick visit in to see her brother and his family depending on the their schedules. So she headed to the beach and spent a couple of days settling in and working on relaxing and getting caught up on her sleep so that she could make some decisions about her life.

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In Washington, Jack was worried. First of all he couldn't ever remember Sam voluntarily taking vacation. Then there was the fact that she had wanted to get away from Colorado Springs, but hadn't gone to the cabin. The combination caused warning bells to go off. Oh she given a lame excuse about the weather, but he had a feeling it was more than that, and the possibilities that came to mind were not good.

He knew he was over-thinking the whole situation still he was worried enough that he had his secretary rearrange his schedule so he could fly to California a day early. He needed to see for himself exactly what was going on with Sam, and he thought perhaps a surprise attack might help him to find out the truth a lot faster than if she was prepared for him.

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Sam could see why her friend had fallen in love with this place. Although it was in a row of beach houses the way it was situated on a curve in the coastline meant that it was set at a slightly different angle from the houses on either side, so when she was sitting on the deck it seemed like she had the beach to herself. Marie had told her that the deck was secluded enough to sunbath nude and Sam could see her point, although she hadn't gotten up the nerve to try it herself. The solitude of her first two days on the beach had accomplished a lot. For one she'd slept better that she had in months. The waves crashing right outside were rhythmic and soothing, and lulled her into a deep dreamless sleep without fail. She'd also developed a light golden tan, and she swore her hair was two shades lighter. Plus all of the fresh air had given her an appetite that she usually lacked.

Unfortunately the one thing that she hadn't accomplished was coming to any decisions. She only hoped that she had some clue as to what she wanted by the time Jack showed up or she figured she was going to seriously freak him out wanting to 'Talk'. He really hated that four-letter word.

Little did she know that even as she settled down on the patio to have lunch on Thursday Jack O'Neill was already boarding a plane in D.C. on his way to do just that.

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TBC


	3. Freaky Thursday

"Thirty Nine" By Jackie W.  
See part 0 for notes/disclaimer/summary 

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Just a short bit to keep you going... I lost a few paragraphs somehow last night and I'm having to retype them. Should have more to post tonight.

I want to say what a joy it is to be back in Sam and Jack land! I've missed you all!

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The sun was warm on Sam's back as she dozed in the lounge chair. While still not brazen enough to sunbath nude she had undone the back of the top of her two-piece and slid her arms out of the straps leaving the top itself trapped under her body. She was fighting to stay awake so she didn't get burned when a voice startled her.

"You missed a spot," Jack said with a grin and watched as she shot out of the chair. "Nice reflexes."

Sam had sprung up with little thought to her state of undress and now she could only thank her lucky stars that it was Jack who was standing there smirking at her as she struggled to cover herself back up.

"Don't bother on my account Sam," he finally chuckled and stepped forward to take her in his arms.

She relaxed instantly into his embrace and dropped the piece of fabric she'd been fiddling with, so she could put her hands up around his neck and deepen the kiss. Jack immediately knew that whatever was going on with her he needed be worried that she was having any doubts about their relationship and he let himself just enjoy having a nearly naked Sam Carter in his arms. So much so that it was another two hours before either of them was in the mood for saying anything intelligible, and then only because their stomachs started to rumble. Reluctantly they got up and got dressed and found their way to the kitchen to make some dinner.

As they pulled out steaks to grill and put together a salad they chatted about their weeks.

"So how did you manage to skip out a whole day early?" Sam asked casually.

Jack decided to be honest. "To tell you the truth the whole 'you taking a vacation' thing freaked me out a bit. I decided to come check to see if you'd been taken over by aliens again," he teased.

Sam gave him a small smile. "No, just needed to get away, and I really needed to be outside. I think being trapped in that damn spacesuit is still having some after effects," she admitted.

"I'd be surprised if it wasn't," Jack sympathized, although truthfully he hadn't though about that as being a reason she might want to get away for a bit.

"Besides, I had some things I wanted to think about and they required peace and quiet," Sam confessed as they sat down to eat. When Jack raised an eyebrow in inquiry she sighed. "Eat first, then we'll talk."

After a pleasant dinner filled with the latest gossip, they washed up the few dishes they had and took a couple of beers out onto the deck to watch the sunset. Silence settled in between them and Jack could tell by the small frown line on Sam's forehead and the occasional biting of her lips that she was deep in thought and slightly nervous. After ten minutes he couldn't take it anymore.

"You're starting to freak me out again Sam," he commented softly.

She had the grace to blush, and grin. "Actually I'm try to figure out how not to freak you out," she admitted.

Jack sighed. That didn't sound good. "Just spit it out, Carter," he ordered gently.

Sam turned so that she could look him directly in the eyes and try to get a good read on his reaction to what she was about to ask.

"Have you ever thought about having another child?"

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TBC


	4. It takes two to tango

"Thirty Nine" By Jackie W. 

See part 0 for notes/disclaimer/summary

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Author's Note: For those of you outside th US... AARP is the American Association of Retired People and you only need to by 50 to join.

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Sam was glad she was an expert at reading the facial expressions of Jack O'Neill as she easily interpreted everything going on in his mind. Surprise was quickly followed by a flicker of pain. Both were emotions she could understand. Then there was a pause and his features got a far away look as if he were contemplating the question. She jumped in quickly when she saw the panic set in.

"Carter are you?" he began.

"I'm not pregnant. It's just a question," she assured him.

The look of relief that came next pretty much answered her question. But she gave him credit for a quick recovery because a second later the O'Neill mask was up.

"Do you want a kid?" he asked casually.

"Well that's what this little get away was really all about. It's been on my mind a lot lately as I've pretty much realized it's now or never," she sighed. "I'm not exactly getting any younger."

"Well think how I feel," Jack quipped. "I'm already eligible for AARP. Think how old I'd be before any kid I had now graduated from college."

"You'll still probably be incredibly sexy," Carter mused.

"Besides, what about your career? Would you want to still be on SG1?" he asked ignoring the comment.

"No way. If I have a child its lab work all the way for me," she declared. "But actually my career is the least of my concerns. If I were to make that choice, it would be a fair trade," she confessed.

"You have other concerns?" Jack asked picking up on that part of her statement.

"My body has been through hell in the last eight years. I worry about conceiving and carry a child, not to mention the fact that my children would be inheriting Naquada in their blood," she fretted. "Of course on the plus side, passing along the ancient gene would be a good thing," she teased. "Thor would be thrilled."

"You've really thought this through," Jack stated. "Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I just think there a lot of risks involved, not to mention how much your life would change," he commented. "It had better be something you really want."

"Our lives," she amended. "Our lives would change. It would have to be something we both wanted," Sam reminded him. "You won't lose me if you say no, Jack. I would only want kids if they were yours, and I can tell you aren't too thrilled by the idea."

"No, Sam. Honestly, I'm not. Maybe if I had the luxury of retiring and being a full time father I might consider it, but I certainly don't want to be the absentee dad I was last time around," he admitted. "DC is a long way from Colorado and I don't see the President letting me set up office several thousand miles from the Pentagon any time soon."

Sam nodded, slowly at first as she thought about his answer. She couldn't say she was disappointed because she hadn't even made up her mind herself one way or the other. She certainly didn't want to force fatherhood on Jack if he wasn't excited about the prospect.

Finally she gave one last decisive nod. "So the discussion is closed. Now what say we enjoy the rest of this week-end? I'm thinking a little midnight dip in the ocean should be fun. Until then I'm sure we can find something to occupy our time!"

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The next month was particularly busy for both Sam and Jack, although Sam managed one quick trip to DC. Today was her first day out of the mountain where she could just be at home and run errands. Truth be told Landry had order all of SG1 to take a day off after finding Carter asleep at her computer with Mitchell and Jackson sprawled on couches across the room. Even Teal was dozing although he was at least sitting upright in the process.

So today Sam had slept in (one whole extra hour) tackled the weeds that had taken over her front garden, and was now out shopping for a new wallet. She'd noticed a while back that her old one was getting worn but the final straw had been when she broke the zipper on one of the compartments two weeks ago.

Having found just what she was looking for at her favorite leather shop, along with a great pair of new boots that she had splurged on, she headed for a café around the corner to get some lunch. Seated across from her were two women in their early thirties, one with a very tiny baby in a stroller. Sam was mesmerized, and when the woman got up to leave she felt a pang of regret. Maybe that biological clock was going to be harder to ignore than she thought.

Or maybe her hormones were just out of whack she corrected as she mentally checked her calendar to see if it was that time of the month. Damn, just what was the date today she thought pulling out her cell phone to check. Holy Hannah, was it really June already? Where did the time go?

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In Washington, Jack O'Neill was suffering with a rare case of self-doubt. For weeks after Sam had asked him the loaded question about having more kids he'd felt that they had made the right decision. Dreams of Charlie had resurfaced and he knew he could never go though anything like that again. Then Sam had come to visit for the weekend and during a walk in a nearby park he had caught her staring at two small children playing and for a moment she had looked sad. It had been so fleeting he wasn't sure that he hadn't imagined it, but it had started the process of him wondering if he'd forced her into a decision that she might regret someday.

Then a week ago he had dreamed of Charlie again, only this was Charlie as he might appear today, a tall young man with a glint of mischief lurking in his brown eyes. The dream Charlie had looked past Jack with a grin and jokingly asked him when he was going to make an honest woman of Sam. Startled Jack had turned to see Sam standing talking to Teal'c and Daniel. Obviously they were having a barbeque in his back yard. Sam turned slightly and he could see that she was heavy with child. And she was positively glowing. From behind him Charlie spoke again.

"You can't let the past hold you back any more, Dad," he said quietly.

Jack turned to answer, but Charlie was gone, and the dream evaporated. For the next week the vision had haunted Jack during any quiet moment he had. Was he letting his past get in the way of his future? He loved Sam with all of his heart and couldn't imagine his life without her. They should have been married by now at the very least. So why hadn't he asked her?

The answer was plan and simple. He was afraid of screwing up again. And sure, the age factor was a valid argument against having kids, but thanks to Thor's tune up after the last 'going ancient' incident Jack was in excellent shape. His doctor here in DC had shaken his head in undisguised envy after Jack's last checkup.

And now that the thought was in his head he couldn't help but think what a great mom Sam would be. He'd watched her with Cassie over the years. Maybe the discussion they had started over a month ago should be revisited when he traveled to Colorado in a week.

At the very least he knew that there was a very important question he wanted to ask one hot blond Lt Colonel.

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TBC


	5. Regrets, I have a few

"Thirty Nine" By: Jackie W. 

See part 0 for notes/disclaimer/summary

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He'd rather face a platoon of angry Jaffa then admit it, but Jack was nervous. He'd checked that the velvet ring box was in his pocket at least a dozen times on the flight from DC, and now sitting next to Sam as she drove him away from Peterson it was all he could do to keep himself from checking his pocket again. He was distracted enough that he didn't even notice that Sam was glancing at him every five minutes or so and giving a little sigh.

Sam noticed that Jack was distracted and that didn't bode well for the conversation she wanted to have with him. She knew they had discussed the whole kids thing weeks ago, and she thought she's been fine with the decision. Now though she wanted to bring up the topic again. Maybe now that it wasn't such a surprise Jack might be more willing to consider it. She couldn't help but think about what a great father he would be. She gave another sigh as she saw him fidgeting in the seat next to her. She hoped he just needed to blow off some steam after the long flight. Because anything she had to say was obviously going to have to wait until he had settled down. She smiled despite herself, thinking of a few ways they could accomplish that. With that purpose in mind she casually reached over and dropped her right hand into his lap.

Well that got his attention.

It wasn't the first time they didn't even make it to the bedroom before they were naked and moaning each other's names. But it was highly unusual for them to still be vertical and in the front hallway as first Sam screamed in pleasure and then Jack gave a sound between a groan and a growl that seemed to last for minutes as spasm after spasm racked his body.

As consciousness returned, Jack realized that Sam was smashed against the wall, with her legs wrapped tightly around his hips. One of his hands was under her shapely behind supporting her while the other was splayed against the wall for support. He could feel tremors occasionally still coursing through Sam's body and she raised dazed eyes to his.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Wow indeed," he chuckled. It wasn't like the two of them hadn't had amazing sex before, but this had been incredible. Suddenly all of his nerves were gone. "Marry me."

Sam's dazed looked increased. "What?"

"Damn it, this isn't how I wanted to do this," Jack complained. As he slowly lowered Sam into a standing position and he looked around for his pants. "I have a ring."

When he stepped away from her Sam shivered at the sudden loss of heat but it served to wake her up from her trance. "Ok," she agreed. Then she watched Jack as he reached down for his pants.

"Jack what are you doing?" She asked grinning wildly. The man of her dreams was bending over showing off his very fine ass, and she had just agreed to marry him. So far this day was going better than she'd hoped.

"I'm getting the ring," he told her as he snagged the pants and pulled out the ring box.

"I meant 'Ok, I'll marry you', but let's see it," she laughed.

Jack froze. "You will?"

Sam put one hand to his waist and one around his neck and pulled him to her until their bodies were touching again. Much better. "I'd be a fool not to," she smiled. "I can't risk never having sex that good again."

Before she could even catch her breath Jack had swooped in for a knee-melting kiss. Before things could get too heated however, they parted and Jack grabbed Sam's left hand so he could get the darn ring on her finger. "I think I need a few minutes to recover after that first round," he admitted.

Sam nodded as she admired the simple ring on her finger. The stone glinted brightly back at her and she caught herself grinning madly again. "I love it," she acknowledged, and then sobered. "But we do have some things to discuss, and it probably would be easier with clothes on."

"But not as much fun," Jack huffed good-naturedly.

Ten minutes later they were sitting down with a couple of drinks. They hadn't bothered with shoes or socks, and Sam's bra had not actually been found yet, but for the most part they were dressed. Sam figured it was up to her to start the conversation so she was more than a bit surprised when Jack jumped in the moment she opened her mouth.

"Let me start, Sam. I need to apologize. It wasn't really fair of me to shut down the idea of having kids so quickly or definitively. I can only say that the topic blindsided me, and I let all of my old insecurities on the subject keep me from letting you tell me what you wanted. So now let me ask you the same question you asked me. Do you ever think about having kids?"

Sam was only silent for a moment before she took a deep breath and admitted, "Yeah, I do. More and more lately. They call it a biological clock for a reason, and mine has kicked in big time."

"So you want a baby," Jack confirmed.

"Only if it's yours, but yes, very much," Sam confessed. "But how do you feel about it? You were pretty much against it when we discussed it last time."

"Yeah, well I can be an idiot sometimes Sam. I need you to call me on that occasionally. I'm not saying I'm jumping up and down at the idea yet. My last attempt at being a dad was a disaster," he reminded her.

"No, you were a great dad. I know because I can hear it in your voice whenever you mention Charlie. The amount of time spent with your kids doesn't make you a good parent, it's the quality of the time. My dad was gone a lot when I was little, but I still loved him and every moment we spent together. It was only after my Mom died that we couldn't seem to be together without fighting, even though he was around more. Then he joined with Selmak and he was gone a lot again. But our relationship improved tremendously. So don't think for a moment you were a bad father. You loved Charlie with all your heart and that's what really matters," Sam told him.

Jack looked at the amazing woman sitting next to him, and little glimmer of hope began to grow. "I always said that you were way smarter than me. So you think we could do it? Get married and have a kid or two and still do our jobs?" he asked. "Because I still think all of the reasons we listed that were against the wholeidea are still valid."

"Well, I think some things will have to change. This long distancesituation is going to have to stop. But I should have no problem getting a position at the Pentagon. There is a lot of work going on there related to not only the SGC but other space travel. They have been bugging me to try to integrate some of the alien tech into satellites for years but I haven't had the time," she explained.

"How do you know that a year from now you won't be bored and regretting leaving the SGC?" Jack asked, doubt still written all over his features.

"You see that's the problem with regrets. You never know what you are going to regret the most when you look back years later. But I've come to a fork in the road. And when I think of my life ten years from now, I am pretty sure I would regret not marrying you and having children more than I would regret leaving the SGC again. I was fine in Nevada the six months I was there. I'm sure I'll be fine in DC. As long as I have a lab," she assured him.

Jack was looking thoughtful but she could tell he still wasn't convinced.

"Look, if everyone only ever used logic to decide to have children the human race would die out. I finally managed to ignore all that and concentrate on what I wanted deep down. If I can ignore logic you certainly can. Imagine I was to come to you tomorrow and tell you I might be pregnant. You'd be full of doubts and fears, but you'd sit with me while we waited for the test results. So pretend we are sitting here and the little plastic test applicator is sitting in the bathroom. I walk in there to get the results and come out with the test in my hand," As she said this she got up and moved to the bathroom and came back with something in her hand. "What are you hoping for deep in your heart, positive or negative?"

Jack was skeptical at first but when she walked towards him he let himself get caught up in the scenario. And suddenly he could barely breathe. He knew beyond a doubt what he wanted.

"Positive," he whispered. "Let it be positive."

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TBC


	6. Beach Blanket BIngo

"Thirty Nine" By: Jackie W.

See part 0 for notes/disclaimer/summary

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Sam felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders and with a big smile she threw herself into Jack's arms. Their kisses were just turning heated when Jack pulled away.

"So what is it?" he asked.

It took a moment for Sam to realize what he meant then she opened up her hand and shrugged. "Neither," she told him holding up the wand. "I took it out of a new test package, unused"

"Oh," Jack said obviously disappointed. "I thought maybe… Wait why do you even have a pregnancy test?

She threw him a worried look. "Don't be mad"

"Why would I be mad?" he asked.

"Because I didn't mention it to you, but about two weeks ago I thought I might be pregnant so I bought a couple of tests and took one. It was negative, and as I sat there looking at it I realized that deep down I had been hoping for positive. I didn't bother to tell you because there was no sense in getting you all worried over nothing," she explained.

For a split second he was mad. Then he realized it was his own damn fault she had felt she couldn't share a pregnancy scare with him. But what was past was past. So he blew out a breath, and let go of the anger and the guilt. "Just so long as next time you understand that I want to know. Even if you just suspect that you might be pregnant," he told her.

Once again she paused with her glass of iced tea half way to her lips and looked at him for a moment. She slowly lowered her glass and cleared her throat.

"Well technically I'm not sure that I'm not pregnant," she confessed.

Now Jack was confused. "You said the test was negative"

"It was, but I still haven't had, um," she stumbled a bit over the next part, "my period"

"Oh," Jack said and his forehead creased like he was trying to do higher math.

"Not since the beach," she added helpfully.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. Then he grinned. "Well that would be ironic"

Now it's was Sam's turn to look confused.

"I could have gotten you pregnant just as we were deciding not to have kids," he pointed out.

Sam let out a giggle. "You think maybe fate was laughing it's ass off even as we seriously discussed the reasons having a baby was a bad idea?" she asked in amusement.

"Fate seems to like to amuse itself at my expense so yeah, it's possible," Jack agreed.

"Well I haven't had any other symptoms, so don't get your hopes up," Sam said with a sigh.

"So why haven't you taken a second test?" he asked.

"I didn't want to be disappointed again," she admitted. "Then again I was afraid of how you would react if it was positive. Like I said before, as much as I want to have a baby I want it to be with you standing by my side every step of the way"

"I will be, I promise. If not now then next month or six months from now," Jack assured her. When she nodded he took her by the hand and pulled her up from the couch. "So go pee on the stick for God's sake"

"Wow, first a romantic proposal now so much love and sympathy for the possibly pregnant woman. You are a charmer Jack O'Neill," she teased. Still, she picked up the test and headed for the bathroom.

She was only gone for about two minutes, but for Jack it seemed like an eternity. Finally she walked out with her watch in her hand. "Three minutes," she announced.

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. Sam sat on the arm of the chair and tried not to stare at the watch. Finally aftera minute or twoJack couldn't take it any more and decided to break the silence.

"Want to get married tomorrow?" he asked.

Sam looked at him like he was crazy. "Absolutely not," she declared. "I need a few weeks. Around the 4th of July would work"

Jack nodded. "Airforce Academy Chapel sound good"

"Sure, if we were talking about July of 2007. It's booked solid a year in advance," Sam reminded him.

"Damn title has to be good for something," he mumbled, then jumped up as Sam stood.

"Time," she declared needlessly.

Jack grabbed her hand. And they walked towards the bathroom door where they stood for a moment to gather their thoughts. Then Jack signaled three with his fingers and counted as they took each step towards the sink. Once they were both standing over the test there was total silence.

Finally Jack spoke. "Uh, Sam. I probably should have asked what positive looks like"

Sam turned to him with tears in her eyes and held up the stick so he could see the window.  
"It looks just like this," she explained pointing to the blue line.

For the first time in over fifty years, Jack O'Neill did not even try to hold back the single tear of joy that escaped as the news sank in. A tear that at first concerned Sam, until a moment later when it was accompanied by the first true smile she had ever seen Jack smile. Her answering grin was blinding.

At age thirty–nine Samantha Carter had finally come to a point in her life where she truly did have it all.

It was worth the wait.

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The end.

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Author's notes:

Wow! Over 100 reviews! You all are wonderful! I know this story practically begs for a sequel... and I very well may do one, I have several ideas floating around. But I wanted to give this part an ending as I will be really busy for the next month and this was a natural ending point. So don't give up hope of seeing more sometime in the near future, and thanks for the support and inspiration!

Jackie W.


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